


ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes

by hullomoon



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Coda, Episode: s04e10 Baby Sprinkle, Fluff, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28923741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hullomoon/pseuds/hullomoon
Summary: After the baby sprinkle, Jocelyn thinks back to when Mutt was growing up
Relationships: Jocelyn Schitt & Mutt Schitt, Jocelyn Schitt/Roland Schitt, Roland Schitt & Mutt Schitt
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14





	ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fishyspots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishyspots/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, fishyspots! I was happy to learn that you enjoyed Jocelyn fics and I know in the Barn we've discussed multiple times what Mutt and Roland's relationship must have been when he was growing up. I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> I tried to work with the timeline as much as I could. We all know it's a mess and with the Schitt's involved even more so.
> 
> cw: There is a brief discussion of fertility issues, which features in one paragraph. If you wish to skip it the paragraph starts out: "She glanced down at her belly and smiled."

Jocelyn folded another onesie, placed it on the dresser, and gave it a small pat. The baby sprinkle was a success, largely due to David's work. She'd have to make him a batch of her brownies as a thank you when she found the time. 

She glanced down at her belly and smiled. She hadn't expected to be pregnant and it reminded her of when she was twenty, only a month into her marriage when she learned she was pregnant for the first time. Turned out that her queasiness at the wedding wasn't from nerves but morning sickness. They had trouble trying to conceive after Mutt, and when her OB/GYN said the chances of another were slim they let their chances go. She hadn’t lied when she told Moira she thought it was menopause-or well technically perimenopause-it had been three months since her last period. It wasn’t until Ronnie mentioned something that she thought to get a pregnancy test.

Arms wrapped around her and a hand gently rubbed her belly. “How’s baby and mom?”

Jocelyn leaned her head back to rest on Roland’s shoulder. “Tired.”

“Sit on the bed, I can give you a foot rub,” Roland replied as he guided her to sit down.

She scooted to the end of the bed and closed her eyes as Roland took off her socks and then started to rub her left foot. Roland had been extremely attentive and hands-on during her first pregnancy. He read as many pregnancy and parenting books as he could find, went to all of the check-ups, and endlessly doted on her. This time she established firmer boundaries and so far it was going well.

Roland moved on from her feet and pressed kisses to her calves, then thighs, and finally lifted her sweatshirt and kissed the rise of her belly. “Hey there little guy,” he whispered. “You aren’t causing any problems for your mom now aren’t you?”

Jocelyn opened her eyes and leaned her head to the left to look at Roland. “We should really pick out a name for him.”

Roland waved a hand through the air. “Aah, we have time. Don’t worry.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We can’t have it ending up like last time.”

Legally, Mutt’s name was Matthew after Jocelyn’s paternal grandfather, but as a toddler, he was always seen with their family dog, Maisy, and the nickname was born. 

Her pregnancy had her thinking about Mutt as a child a lot. A few weeks ago, she pulled down Mutt’s baby book. As she flipped through the pages she remembered the late nights, the times she wanted to break down and cry from sleep deprivation and stress, the way he looked so sweet when he slept, or the first time he laughed. 

The look back also had her thinking about Mutt and Roland’s relationship. When Mutt was younger, they were almost inseparable. Mutt proudly had Roland at his Grade Two Career Day and there was one year he even dressed up as a ‘mayor’ for Halloween. Although no one knew who he was Mutt smiled the whole time. 

It wasn’t until high school that their relationship started to fracture. Jocelyn first chalked it up to teenage rebellion and she hated the shouting matches between the two of them. They always threw barbs back and forth but Jocelyn can remember their last fight clearly.

Mutt had recently graduated from high school and Roland asked him what he would do next. When Mutt replied he wanted to travel and see what the world had to offer, Roland replied that everything he needed was around him and why would he waste a sure thing. Mutt left later that day and it took another day before he called them to let them know he was okay. For the rest of that summer, he sent postcards of the towns he visited with a brief note about what he did there. Jocelyn placed each one on the fridge and she walked past it every time she worried about Mutt. 

Right before school started he returned for a weekend visit, despite how much she tried to convince him to stay. He did leave his cell phone number and for the next ten years, he called once a month and visited twice a year. During every visit, he was polite with Roland but the tension underneath was stifling. 

He returned to live in the barn six months before the Roses showed up. Jocelyn tried to organize weekly family meals, but it quickly ended after the first time Roland and Mutt couldn’t stop sniping at each other. That was when they decided it was best for Jocelyn to meet Mutt at his barn.

Jocelyn grabbed Roland’s hand. “Can you promise me something? I know your relationship with Mutt fell apart and I know you’re working on it now—and I appreciate that—but could you try and not let that happen with this one?”

Roland looked at her for a moment before he replied. “I didn’t want to lose Mutt, but it felt like that. We didn’t agree on anything and I probably didn’t handle it well.”

Jocelyn gave him a look. 

“Okay, so I didn’t handle it well. But sometimes I look at him and see the little kid who used to love going to council meetings with me, even if it was just to color under the table. It seemed like overnight everything changed. It was hard to adjust.”

She ran her hand along his arm. “Kids grow up and it’s hard to think about how to reconcile who they used to be to who they are now. Like, Mutt’s always going to be my baby but he’s a grown-up and is going to make his own decisions, even when we don’t like them.”

“I’ll try not to make the same mistakes with this little guy,” Roland said.

She rested her head on his chest. “That’s all I ask of you to do.”

\---

Jocelyn was grateful to be back from the hospital. The delivery went smoothly considering she was a 'geriatric' pregnancy and with Rollie Jr. having zero complications they were able to go back home about a day later. 

The Jazzagals had just stopped by to give congratulations and a casserole and now with Rollie in the bassinet beside her asleep, she closed her eyes and rocked herself back and forth on the rocker. 

A quiet tap broke her from her trance and she opened an eye to see that it was Mutt. 

"Are visitors allowed?" he whispered. 

"You're always welcome," she replied back. 

Mutt walked into the room, a stuffed dog in hand, and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. 

"Congrats," he murmured. 

"Thanks. Do you want to see your baby brother?"

"I'd like to."

She gestured down to the bassinet. Rollie was curled up, little fists pressed tight against his face.

Mutt knelt down and gently traced a finger along a chubby leg. "He's so small."

"Most babies are," she cheekily replied. 

"It's a little strange having a baby brother. I remember sometimes when I was younger I would be jealous of my friends who had siblings and wishing I had one too," Rollie made a sound, and Jocelyn and Mutt both froze. They watched as Rollie kicked out a foot and then went back to sleep. "It was probably a good thing it was just me," Mutt continued, "I know I was a handful."

Jocelyn looked down at them, her two boys, and sighed. "I think most kids can be a handful at times. They're exploring the world around them and sometimes that means butting up against their parents."

"I made it difficult for you with Dad. We put you in the middle of our fights too many times."

"It was hard. I didn't like seeing you fight and being the go-between wasn't fun. I think it would be good for you to talk to your dad again."

Mutt played with the stuffed dog's tail. "Do you think he would want to talk to me?"

Jocelyn smiled. "I think so."

Mutt got up from the floor and held out the dog to her. "This is for Rollie."

She grabbed it and felt its plush softness. "Thanks. I'm sure when he's a little older he'll love it. Then again your favorite lovie was an old shirt of your dad's so who knows."

Mutt laughed. "It was nice to see you."

"It was nice to see you too."

They hugged and Jocelyn pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

She hoped that Mutt and Roland's talk goes well, they both seem to want to try, and really that was the first step. 

Rollie began to fuss again and she got up to pick him up. He looked up at her with his wide eyes, exploring the world, and she nuzzled at his head. She couldn't wait to see who he would become, but in the meantime, she'd enjoy these quiet moments. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to chat, I'm [hullomoon](HTTP://hullomoon.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!


End file.
